Colorado will be home to US Space Command for at least 6 years

Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs has been named the provisional headquarters of the U.S. Space Command for at least the next six years, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and Gov. Jared Polis said in separate statements Friday.

“In Colorado we are proud to play a pivotal role in our national defense and military space operations, which is why I pushed the Department of Defense to reestablish the U.S. Space Command here in our state,” said Gardner, a Yuma Republican up for re-election this year. “Today’s announcement is historic for Colorado and the future of U.S. military operations in space.”

Polis also celebrated the announcement.

“This is great news for our state and I will continue urging the President and the Air Force to make Colorado the permanent home of U.S. Space Command,” Polis said. “Colorado is home to a proud military community, a critical aerospace industry, an educated workforce, and prestigious research institutions so we are the natural and best home for U.S. Space Command.”

The decision will be final in January, Polis said.

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The governor was in Washington, D.C., Wednesday to talk to President Trump about federal resources and money to help with the COVID-19 crisis. Polis met with Trump in February to advocate for making Colorado home to the Space Command.

In August, the Pentagon named Peterson Air Force Base as the temporary location of the command. The other Colorado sites that were in the running for its permanent home were Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.

Trump authorized the creation of the U.S. Space Command, citing the need for a centralized unit to protect American interests in what he says is “the next war-fighting domain.”